Umeda Shuichiro Tobitama article from Seiyuu Grand Prix July 2022 Translation
Below the cut is my translation for a magazine article about Umeda Shuichiro’s early career fan club livestream program called Tobitate! Game no Tamago (aka Sky-high! Game Egg)!
The article was in the July 2022 issue of Seiyuu Grand Prix, which you can still get at the publisher’s site here. Also they did two promo videos for the article on their youtube page that showed off some footage from Tobitama's episodes. They have officially made English CC-style subs (that's where I got the translation for the program name from), and you can see them here and here. Aside from the very brief clips on the Tobitama twitter page here, these two videos are the only surviving footage of this program as far as I know, so I’m really grateful this magazine posted them.
They also have a web interview here. At first glance I thought it was a direct web reprint of this magazine article, but comparing the Japanese text of the web and magazine versions, there’s actually a lot of differences both in the questions asked and the answers given, as well as the pictures. So that’s why I felt it was still worth posting my translation, even though some of the questions and answers are identical.
General disclaimer: My intention is educational aka I’m translating these articles so that the English-speaking fandom can learn more about my beloved #1 seiyuu oshi Umeda Shuichiro via translations that are done by a human and huge fan who knows more context than a machine translation would. I encourage everyone who can to support the magazine this came from and Umeda’s projects! ^_^
Umeda Shuichiro
The start of a program where we progress through games together!
Profile
Umeda Shuichiro. Born October 11th. Affiliated with Ken Production. Main works appeared in: Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie anime (Izumi-kun), The Dawn of the Witch anime (Sable), Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. 2 Cross Boost (Ebihara Chikage), Final Fantasy VII Remake game (Chadley), and others.
Umeda Shuichiro’s
Sky-high!
Game Egg
Sky-high! Game Egg (abbreviated as SkyEgg) [In Japanese: Tobitate! Game no Tamago (abbreviated as Tobitama)] is a once-a-month livestream game variety program where Umeda Shuichiro-san interacts with his fans via playing various games. We bring you this interview with Umeda-san right after the first live broadcast of SkyEgg that aired on May 18th!
During this gaming livestream, it’s not just single-player gameplay, but also online multiplayer gameplay with the viewers!
Umeda loves ramen, so there’s a segment where he taste-tests noodles recommended by everyone. Pay close attention to this live, unedited food review!
A program wouldn’t be complete without a letter corner. People whose letters are read will get a special program sticker that has an illustration Umeda drew on it!
Umeda: I want everyone to get excited about playing online together!
Interviewer: I heard that the program’s title Sky-high! Game Egg was given by you, Umeda-san.
Umeda: It came about because I love birds in general, especially those like pigeons and white cockatoos, so I thought, “It’d be fun if we set it up like a game where with each subsequent livestream episode more of my beloved birds gather.” Thus, we made an interesting setting where in each episode one of our eggs hatches and the new friends steadily increase, and I gave it the name Game Egg.
Interviewer: Can you please tell us about your favorite games or genres you prefer?
Umeda: If pressed to say, I don’t really spend much time on RPGs. I’m not very good at grinding my way through the levels. [laughs] This is probably why I love action games where your skills and experience are easily applied. The game I played the most extensively is the fighter plane shooting game called Ace Combat, and lately I’ve been obsessed with an indie game called Outer Wilds where you journey through space. I’m so incredibly happy that I discovered this game, to the point that I want to lose my memory and play it all over again from the beginning.
Interviewer: Do you like individual-player games?
Umeda: I’m the kind of person who does things at his own pace, so if I have to pick between the two, I think I prefer games where I can progress slowly on my own. However, I really look forward to getting to do online multiplayer mode with my viewers during the program!
Interviewer: Your program has a corner where you taste-test noodles such as ramen. Do you really love ramen that much?
Umeda: I love ramen a ton, and while I can’t make anything too complicated, one of my hobbies is making my own ramen from scratch by making the broth by doing things like extracting the dashi from the bones using a pressure cooker, and making seafood or pork broth dipping noodles. However, where I’m living now has an induction cooktop with only a single burner, so it’s a struggle. It ends up taking half a day to make. [laughs]
Interviewer: Aside from games and good food, is there anything else that you’d want to try doing?
Umeda: I’d like to invite the people I’m close to. I think it’d be nice to introduce everyone to the people I love and have a personal relationship with. It’d make me so happy to invite the senpai that I respect, such as Tsubasa Yonaga-san, Sato Takuya-san, and Yashiro Taku-san, to be guests and get to do a program together with them.
Interviewer: Is there anything your senpai said that left an impression on you?
Umeda: When I was on set acting as the main character in The Dawn of the Witch, there was a time when I passed by Sato Takuya-san, who was playing the role of the villain, and he called out to me and said, “I heard your voice in the test footage.” I asked him, “H-how was it?” and he replied, “I thought it was a perfect fit, and that your acting was interesting.” I wasn’t able to ask him in what way he thought my acting was “interesting,” but it gave me confidence.
Interviewer: What was it that sparked your desire to become a voice actor?
Umeda: It started in my second year of college when I was invited to join the drama club. I’d always loved anime, so to me the world of voice actors was like something sparkling that I admired. When I joined the drama club and was in the position to act in something myself, I was shocked, but in a good way, at just how interesting acting could be. In that drama club, there were a surprising amount of people who were aiming to become voice actors. This changed my mind from thinking that even aiming to become a voice actor would be too difficult, to thinking that it was a viable option that I could possibly aim for too. For the first time in my life, I wanted to really put forth the time and effort to try doing something. Of course, my anxieties were massive, but I thought, “I won’t know unless I try!” and before I knew it, I had applied to a training school and was aiming to become a voice actor.
Interviewer: In the future are there any roles you want to try playing?
Umeda: I want to try playing twisted and perverse characters. [laughs] Also, I think it’d be cool if I could play adversaries, or rather, excessively strong-willed characters.
Interviewer: At last, SkyEgg has started. I’m looking forward to seeing how it grows from here.
Umeda: Because of this wonderful opportunity to spend a relaxing time playing games with the users, I think that even though it’s through a screen, by doing things together like having a drink or eating at the same time, everyone can feel closer to each other.
translation of voice actor interviews from Bravern BD
Translation of the cast interview featuring Suzuki Ryouta (Isami), Azakami Youhei (Smith), Suzumura Kenichi (Bravern), Aizawa Saya (Lulu) and Sugita Tomokazu (Superbia) from the special booklet included with the first BD release.
this is pretty long so I'm putting it behind a cut.
Suzuki Ryouta (Isami Ao):
Q: Tell us your impressions of the character you play.
You can tell by watching the first episode that I played him as someone who wordlessly takes on the burden of his superior's orders and crushes his enemies with his own power... a cool and stylish soldier. ...nah he wasn't like that at all, was he? During his first real battle, his hands were shaking and he acted like a coward without any courage, and he was forced to shoulder his fate as the pilot fighting against mysterious enemies that appeared all of a sudden. Fighting alongside Smith and Bravern, sometimes clashing with them, and gradually seeing his heart grow stronger, it felt like I too could have an explosion of courage along with him, making him a very fun character.
Q: Tell us about your favorite episode/scene/quote.
From episode one, the line “What the hell is this song!?!”. In the script I was just supposed to shout “Uaaaaaaah!”, but during voice recording I adlibbed my gut reaction to hearing the song. The director allowed my adlibbed line to be used, so it's a memorable quote to me. I also love the scene from episode eleven, where the four characters have a meal together. It is a mysterious scene where the atmosphere changes into that of a cooking manga (lol).
Q: Was there anything you were particularly conscious of when portraying this character?
I was conscious of expressing Isami as someone who is fundamentally a man of few words, with the austerity of a soldier who feels young yet mature. In the first half, my strong imrpression of him is that he is conflicted after meeting Bravern with how he doesn't want anyone to die but doesn't have the courage to fight. The boxing match with Smith allowed him to let out the weakness he'd been holding inside, and he was able to change his feelings into positive ones where he wants to fight alongside others without pressure. Even when he's conflicted, his comebacks are sharp, he is pretty scary when he gets angry, and he sheds tears when his companions fall... he is a character I portrayed expressing multitudes of human emotions.
Q: A message for fans.
Thank you for watching BBB until the end. In addition to hot blooded mecha fights, there are scenes that make you laugh, a little bit of sexiness, scenes that may make your eyes tear up, all sorts of fun things coming in a high tempo. It might be the kind of work where seeing Isami, who had no courage at all, gain it little by little through his battles, might give viewers that small first step as well. I am glad Bravern gave me the opportunity to play a mecha pilot protagonist for the first time. Thanks to all viewers and regards from here on.
Azakami Youhei (Lewis Smith)
Q: Tell us your impressions of the character you play.
At first we were not given a lot of character details. I attended the audition with a rough description of a “cheerful and macho solider”, but after reading the scripts and seeing his feelings for Isami and his fellow comrades, and how well he takes care of Lulu, he became a character I liked more the more I got to know about him. Almost as if he became like a “hero” to me. I think the comical atmosphere around him draw out his likable qualities. I tried my best to make his [English] pronunciation sound as native as possible. He was earnestly a very fun character to play.
Q: Tell us about your favorite episode/scene/quote
I really like the boxing episode between Isami and Smith. Like “we don't need words to communicate!” - it was a fun part to act with a mix of passionate fists meeting mixed with jokes. I think that's when they truly became friends so it's a part I particularly like. Also, it wasn't in the actual episodes, but in the preview for the first episode, Smith says the line “The wait's over, Isami!”. It is a line that has a bigger impact when you hear it again after knowing everything. Please listen to that line one more time!
Q: Was there anything you were particularly conscious of when portraying this character?
He may give off the strongest impression of being a bright and pleasant person, but his sometimes fragile expressions are memorable. He wants to be a hero, but the hero isn't him. That sense of failure he was carrying might have been the “shadow” side of this story. When recording his lines, more than getting across his “coolness”, I tried to get across the beliefs that were important to him, as well as that sense of being the “shadow”. On one side, he is the polar opposite of the cold Isami, but no matter how bad things make him look he doesn't waver in his own belief in justice. And for him, the “shadow” of failure turns into strength because of his strong convictions. I am happy thinking this power could connect him to becoming Bravern.
Q: A message for fans.
Thank you for supporting this work. This is the kind of story that makes you think “who is the protagonist?”, and people can come to different conclusions. Like Isami, who is forcibly made to be the hero and is dragged onto the stage and shouldered a huge burden without knowing why. Or like Smith who, faced with the reality of not being able to become what he wanted to be, was able to overcome that sense of failure. Or like Hibiki and Miyu who are able to make everyone happy by playing a supporting role. Or like King, who lets his personal feelings aside and becomes the one who makes the hard decisions. From all sorts of protagonist viewpoints, try watching the show thinking what sort of existence Bravern is to all of them.
Suzumura Kenichi (Bravern)
Q: Tell us your impressions of the character you play.
When I saw the design, I thought it was totally Bari-esque (lol). “This is it!” I cried out.
The more you see him face against other characters the more it becomes clear just how out of sync with everyone he is, which is funny, but I was also nervous how hit the subtle balance right each time. I played him like the kind of hero robot character I looked up to as a kid, which made me happy on a personal level. I portrayed him with all the expected qualities of a mecha anime, but being a lifetime otaku helped me a lot. I'm glad I like robots.
Q: Tell us about your favorite episode/scene/quote.
It was fun to put effort into voicing the special attack/fusion scenes. Obari-san has done continuous work on mecha anime, and has many peculiarities about how attack shouts should be voiced to the samllest detail, and recording while receiving those sessions was fun. I also got to voice the the hero character in the tokusatsu show Smith and Lulu were watching! Taking notes on how to voice live action-ish lines once again was very fun. When you know that Bravern was created from Smith's feelings, you can tell that the image of that hero character probably made a deep impression on a part of him.
Q: Was there anything you were particularly conscious of when portraying this character?
When the test recording of the first episode was done, Obari-san called for me and told me: “Bravern's real identity is Smith”. I was the only one who was told this. Because this was kept a secret from the other voice actors, it was hard to keep myself from telling everyone my real feelings (lol). Although I was cast through an audition, knowing this changed the entire plan of portraying the character. The way he interacts with Isami, the way he says his special attacks, how he uses his new powers... instead of voicing these lines in a straightforward manner, I played him as if it was actually Smith acting as a hero. After the reveal of his identity happens in the second half if the series, I played him as if he becomes stronger and more confidently hero-like.
Q: A message for fans.
This is a work you can enjoy from many different viewpoints. For a mecha-otaku like me it doesn't betray your expectations, and people who have never seen a mecha anime before can laugh and cry. It is a work full of elements that people can enjoy. There are lots of characters with their own charms, so I think everyone will find a favorite. If you watch the entire show from the beginning after the ending, you will be able to notice how everything was laid out! Please watch it around 100 times (lol).
Aizawa Saya (Lulu)
Q: Tell us your impressions of the character you play.
I took this role as a challenge, and she was a character who gave me a lot of challenges. I want people to understand her passionate courage by watching her introduction scene again after the last episode,
Q: Tell us about your favorite episode/scene/quote.
I like her relationship with Superbia. From their backstory, where he accepts her determination, to their present, where their feelings align and they take off together. Their gapigapi arguing was a good memory. And as an actor, getting to be a mecha pilot is a great treasure.
Q: Was there anything you were particularly conscious of when portraying this character?
In the beginning, she didn't even understand what language was and she didn't have a developed tongue. I payed attention to which words in the script would be difficult to pronunce. The subtle line of her not being able to communicate properly and words still having to be audible to viewers had to be tread carefully. Her state of growth from episode to episode was carefully maintained by consulting with Obari-san.
Q: A message for fans.
Thanks for supporting this passionate work. Make the courage hidden inside you burst forth!
Sugita Tomokazu (Superbia)
Q: Tell us your impressions of the character you play.
The word “bonds” can easily become trite when thrown around easily, but I felt that to Superbia, his bonds with others are precious to him. As comrades in arms, as ojisama, the future that comes forth must be bright.
Q: Tell us about your favorite episode/scene/quote.
I loved hearing so many good voices. The voice actors Obari-san chooses for this works never let you down, I thought. And it was exactly as I expected. Every episode my ears and heart were happy.
Q: Was there anything you were particularly conscious of when portraying this character?
The pronunciation of “Lulu”. The “Oh, has something changed here?” should be immediately obvious.
Q: A message for fans.
Brave! Bang! Shake hands with Superbia in his new form that's probably gonna come out! It's gonna be come out, right?
I was just browsing through the official website for Ikemen Revolution and there was this section called ‘Interviews’. It contained all the transcripts of Cybird’s interviews with the voice actors. I got curious about it (well to be honest, I just wanted to read on how Ayumu Murase approached the role of being Loki’s VA) so I took a look.
and BOI-
Almost half of the VAs wanted an anime adaptation of IkeRev to happen.
Translations under the cut!
All the interviews are in Japanese, but I managed to translate them with Google Translate (you’re welcomed-). Here are the texts!
Question: (it’s the same for all the VAs)
――今後期待する展開はありますか？(Are there any developments you expect in the future?)
[As a voice actor, I would like you (Cybird) to make it an animation. After that, it's a fashionable worldview, so it seems like collaboration with the brand is good. Clothes that incorporate the taste of military uniform are also likely to be cute.]
[I want to see them move! Because it is packed with various elements such as swordsmanship, magic, and romance, it is possible to attract men to action like swordsmanship, and women can enjoy a wide range of things such as being in love. Above all, I want to see them fighting purely for myself. Also, I'd be happy if I could sing a character song. I think it can be erotic and astringent (laugh)]
(I think Kentaro Kumagai means that he wants to see the characters move about, like in an anime. Also, character songs are usually made for anime characters so yeah, he probably means anime.)
[First of all, we want more people to play the game, but I would like to develop various things from there and have the opportunity to play more and more Sirius. In that sense, I'm still a voice actor, so I'm eager to make it into an animation. Personally, I'm glad that it's like a serious group drama where a lot of attractive men appear and battle. The best story is about Sirius and Lancelot (laughs)]
[I want you to make it into an animation! Then the drama CD! I want to record with a dummy head microphone! Then I want you to develop various things such as stage setting and novelization! !]
[After all, it might be interesting when seen in anime. There are quite a lot of battles, so I think that if the battle scenes were animated, it would be exciting. Haar is a magician with a strong magical power, so I personally love such cheat characters. All the characters who play other characters are seniors, but it seems like it would be fun to say that it would be useless if it was an animation, and I would have to defeat it with grasshoppers (laughs).]
So I guess it’s some consolation that we aren’t the only ones that want an anime spin-off of Ikemen Revolution. ^^;;
Though on a serious (heh, Sirius-) note, if we do get an anime adaptation, I wonder how they’ll treat the diverging routes? The only time I saw an otome anime was Amnesia: Memories and they treated the multiple routes as different timelines. The MC (unfortunately) gets killed in one timeline to be teleported to the next.
But that only made sense since in each timeline, all the other side characters (even the love interests) had different personalities and attitudes towards the MC. Given that the characters of IkeRev barely change their personalities towards Alice in their non-centric routes, this timeline mechanism probably won’t work.
Hm, what do you guys think? If they ever make it, how should Cybird format their anime adaptation of IkeRev? :D
